Oklahomans turned out in low numbers – only 25.3 % of those eligible to vote did so to vote on State Question 820, legalizing recreational marijuana.
The journey to the vote was a circuitous one, with the question missing deadlines for inclusion in regular elections and being forced by the calendar into a special election where it was the solitary item. That made it the first such vote in the nation where the question of legalized pot stood alone on the ballot.
There were the expected huge pro-question media campaign and the mandatory rebuttal by the anti-pot segment claiming the commercials and ads were paid for by deeppocketed out of state concerns and black web bad actors. The murders of four workers at a Garfield County pot grow did nothing to clear the already muddy waters.
However, the voters spoke up loud and clear. The vote against recreational pot carried the day in a wave.
Statewide the vote was 216,883 for and 349,121 against, or 38.32% to 61.68%.
Here in Blaine County, the numbers were mirrored. The vote was 425 for and 1,352 against, or 23.9% to 76.08%.
Some 400,000 Oklahomans – or about 10%-- already have a medical card to legally buy weed. There are 2,300 dispensaries but no new ones will be allowed for two years.
Many who objected to the question was that recreational weed would have been taxed at 15%, higher than the tax on medical marijuana. Proponents said the additional money raised could be a boon to the state. It would also negate the criminal record of anyone who was convicted of possession of amounts below the one ounce covered by 820. Whether that removal of convictions for low levels of possession will move forward without the passage of 820 remains to be seen.